Published Articles

High clearance tractors have come a long way since they were MacGyvered in the field by farmers trying to solve agricultural problems on the fly. When Waverly was looking at high clearance tractors, we needed a versatile solution that would help with planting, spraying, cultivation, and weed control. It’s doing that plus reducing labor and chemical costs.

Spring at a field production nursery can yield hair on fire anxiety. Every year we go like hell to get the deciduous plants dug before they come into full leaf, and every year the deadline looms at a different date. Managing the anxiety starts with a deep data dive into degree days.

If you find yourself being audited by the Federal Department of Labor, understand this: The investigation is not a process to teach you how to do a better job, to educate, and everyone feels good. The process is to find errors and mistakes. If your ducks are in a row, it will be less excruciating

Even with the best precautions, field workers are liable to get bitten by spiders and other critters with which we share the outdoors. Sometimes these can lead to infections and even become life-threatening if not taken seriously. Beware that, aside from the locals, uncommon insects and arachnids can always hitch a ride from other regions and wind up on your land.

It’s a nightmare scenario - your entire business burning down. Our loss was well over a million dollars in equipment, infrastructure, and supplies. We could have been better covered for not much more in premium. We won’t make that mistake again. No small business owner wants to take the time to prepare a disaster plan. Do it anyway.

Loss of beauty, biodiversity, and for so many of us, our livelihood due to herbicide damage is enough to keep you up at night. Off-target herbicide can occur because of spray drift and -this may surprise you- through temperature inversion. The problem is becoming more serious in Maryland, but so far has not been getting nearly enough attention.

Even this abstract needs a disclaimer: The following is not intended to pass muster as legal advice. So to avoid a lawsuit, I make no claim for accuracy or legality. You can be held negligent in the areas of hiring, retention, supervision, and training, to name a few. Believe it or not, a company handbook can actually head off these and other potential employer/employee entanglements.

I’ve researched back to colonial days and found that ownership of the land now called Waverly Farm parcel can be traced to one of the most important families in Maryland’s history: the Carrolls. There were actually three Charles Carrolls who, from the 1600s through the 1800s, owned large parts of Maryland including the parcel eventually named Waverly Farm. There is a LOT of history in this place!

Back in 2009, I wanted to take my mind off the misery we were all enduring. My thoughts quickly drifted to horse manure. Our compost windrows produce enormous amounts of heat with sustained temperatures in the range of 145F. There had to be a way to harness that heat and use it in our plant propagation operation. Our invention, the “Propagation Hut,” has worked out pretty well.

For growers, crunching the numbers is not much fun when compared to other aspects of running a nursery business. That’s how I felt when I was just starting out. That is, until I turned financial analysis into a game. The game, simple enough, was to prepare a cash flow statement and compare the forecast with actual results each month. Then you can start doing annual forecasts. Over time, you will start to see opportunities...

The only way a business succeeds in creating positive cash flow and profits for future investment and cash reserves is through great marketing resulting in sales. Enterprises that engage in great marketing make it through the toughest of times. Good marketing is all about your company’s ability to identify the customer, satisfy the customer, and keep the customer.

Waverly Farm participated in a multi-year study in cooperation with the University of Maryland Extension to learn how much soil moisture is needed to support optimum plant growth in the nursery field. There is a surprising scarcity of information on this subject. We also wanted to learn more about the benefit of compost amended soils related to moisture holding capacity and therefore reduced irrigation requirements